Ayatollah (producer)

Lamont Dorrell, better known as Ayatollah is a Hip-Hop producer from Queens, New York who has produced for predominantly New York-based rappers including Mos Def, R.A. The Rugged Man, Tragedy Khadafi, Wordsworth, Vast Aire, Afu-Ra, Guru, M.O.P., Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah as well as many others. R.A. the Rugged Man had said in an interview that he was the first person to ever buy a beat from Ayatollah. Broadly speaking Ayatollah's production encompasses a soulful, authentic east coast hip-hop sound which has brought him steady success and acclaim since the late 1990's.

Career

Ayatollah first received main-stream recognition after producing Rawkus rapper Mos Def's hit "Ms Fat Booty", the first single off his "Black on Both Sides" album; whilst subsequently receiving a gold plaque for probably his most well-known track to date, Styles P's hit "My Life" featuring Organized Konfusion legend Pharoahe Monch, which appeared on the Rawkus Recordscompilation Soundbombing III.

Ayatollah is a favoured producer of many Queensbridge MCs in particular, and after working with Cormega on "Rap's a Hustle" on his debut "The Realness", the latter spoke of working on a subsequent album produced solely by Ayatollah, an eagerly awaited project which has since failed to transpire; perhaps Queens' own mini-version of Dr Dre and Ice Cube's almost mythological Helter Skelter project so oft referred to on early Death Row Records releases.

Despite being well-respected and having worked with a veritable who's who of the east coast US hip-hop scene over the last decade, and unlike many of his contemporaries, Ayatollah has never released a solo album teaming his beats with guest appearances. Nor has he gone the 9th Wonder/Dangermouse route of bootleg remixing an entire album. As a result, and perhaps unfairly, he remains comparatively underappreciated and unknown by a wider audience.

He has however released three instrumental albums, 2003's unofficial debut "So Many Reasons to Rhyme" and since then in 2006, "Listen", on Nomadic Wax and "Now Playing" on Nature Sounds. He has also worked with hip hop legend Rakim on an unreleased song from The Wash soundtrack entitled "A Cold Feeling".

His production has also featured on a flurry of a releases over the first half of this decade and he has since collaborated with Brooklyn newcomer Okai on the album "Dekonstruktion of the Mind", a well-received 2006 debut entirely produced by Ayatollah. He recently became the producer for the group T.H.U.G. Angelz, with Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple, and produced a majority of their first collaborative album titled "Welcome to Red Hook Houses".

Discography

Albums

*So Many Reasons to Rhyme (2003)
*Listen (2006)
*Now Playing (2006)
*Louder (2008)

Production

*Traum "Hip Hop" ("Mad Dreamz", 2007)
*Sean Price "Crazy" (2007)
*eMC "Four Brothers" (2007)
*Okai "Dekonstruktion of the Mind" (Entire Album) (2006)
*Tragedy Khadafi "No Equivalent" ("Thug Matrix", 2005)
*Sean Price "Spliff N Wessun" ("Monkey Barz", 2005)
*Saigon "Do You Know" ("Do You Know EP", 2005)
*R.A. The Rugged Man "Chains", "Make Luv Outro" ("Die Rugged Man Die", 2004)
*Wordsworth "Right Now", "Evol" ("Mirror Music", 2004)
*Cormega "Bring it Back" ("Legal Hustle", 2004)
*Vast Aire "Elixir" ("Look Mom...No Hands", 2004)
*The Last Emperor "Karma", "Tiger Trail" ("Music, Magic, Myth", 2003)
*Inspectah Deck "The Movement", "Who Got It", "Shorty Right There", "Vendetta", "That Nigga" ("The Movement", 2003)
*Afu-Ra "Think Before You..." ("Life Force Radio", 2002)
*R.A. The Rugged Man "You Don't Wanna Fuck Wit" (2002)
*Royce Da 5'9" "Life" ("Rock City (Version 2.0)", 2002)
*Styles P & Pharoahe Monch "The Life" ("Soundbombing III", 2002)
*Talib Kweli "Joy", "The Proud" ("Quality", 2002)
*Screwball 4 tracks ("Loyalty", 2001)
*Cormega "Rap's a Hustle" ("The Realness", 2001)
*Ghostface Killah "WTC Pt. 2"
*Guru "Cry" ("Baldhead Slick & Da Click", 2001)
*Tragedy Khadafi "Lift Ya Glass" ("Against All Odds", 2001)
*Masta Ace "Hold U" ("Disposable Arts", 2001)
*Mos Def "Ms. Fat Booty 2" ("Lyricist Lounge 2", 2000)
*Cella Dwellas "Game of Death" ("The Last Shall Be First", 2000)
*Mos Def "Ms. Fat Booty", "Know That" ("Black on Both Sides", 1999)
*Ilacoin, Labba, Black Rob "By a Stranger" (2000)